How fast you can safely lose weight is a huge topic of discussion in the world.
Mainstream experts insist that more than “1 to 2” pounds a week is dangerous and unsustainable.
I couldn’t disagree more, though I do think that there is a “too fast” threshold.
The problem is that what that threshold is will vary from person to person.
Everyone needs different food volume, different amounts of water, and so on, yet cookie cutter dietary guidelines insist all women need 2,000 calories a day, and all men need 2,500 calories a day.
That is just NOT true. You may as well say everyone “should” have a certain eye color, be a certain height, a certain age – you get my drift.
Our bodies have things in common, but they’re also incredibly unique.
It’s why one of my Certified Coaches, Andrea, who is the same height is me and only three years younger, can eat 1,000 calories more per day in maintenance and maintain her weight loss, even though my ideal weight is 20 pounds more than hers and I have way more muscle than she does.
Whether “fast” weight loss is safe depends on your definition of fast, and whether that definition is right for your body. It’s not a cut and dry answer.
If you’re curious about this because you’ve seen the before and after photos I’ve posted, or you know a Code Red Rebel who lost a lot of weight pretty quickly, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that, on average, Code Red Rebels lose weight faster on my program than they do in other programs.
This is especially true with custom program Rebels, who get their custom numbers and advanced training to really dial in their weight loss.
Double digit weight loss the first week is not uncommon in bigger people.
Mid-to-high single digit weight loss every week happens a lot, too, even in people with less weight to lose.
Coach Andrea, on her custom program, lost 6.6 pounds the first week and 5 pounds the week she got to goal, even though she “only” had 28 pounds to lose. (The least she lost in one week was 1.6 pounds.)
That’s one of tens of thousands of examples of people who safely lost more than the mainstream cookie cutter 1-2 pounds a week recommendation.
“Safely” means not only did they not hurt themselves in some way to lose the weight, they are physically better in ways that go beyond weight loss.
Bottom line: If the speed at which my Rebels lose weight when they correctly follow the program was unhealthy, I’d have been out of business long ago.
And “fast weight loss” that’s also safe is a matter of what’s right for YOUR body.
It could be 1-2 pounds a week, but it could easily be more than that.
If you’re worried about it – or someone in your family is – think of it like this: Losing weight in a safe, sustainable way, like correctly living the Code Red Lifestyle™, ensures you lose weight at a speed that’s safe for YOUR body.
Not your spouse’s. Not your grandmother’s. Not your supervisor’s college-age kid.
YOUR body. Make sense?